High concept desserts may make people oooh, aaah and Instagram, but it’s the old school goodies that get gobbled up with glee. Case in point: Mrs. Lamb’s Apple Cake. I dug into my faded, hand-written recipe book the other day when I needed a fourth offering for our refreshments table at the Westport Historical Society’s […]
I’m a fan of East London baker Claire Ptak, the owner of Violet, a bakery in Hackney. I’ve never eaten any of her pastry; never made a pilgrimage to her shop. But I do follow her on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. So, you know, it’s like we’re besties. A few posts ago, Claire – a […]
A long time ago and not so far away, Steven and I supped at the home of our friends who are mad gardeners. The wife, an excellent cook as well, served us boneless turkey breast stuffed with kale and mushrooms. It was delicious, and I never forgot it. So when the kale craze hit […]
The French film “Haute Cuisine” isn’t about haute cuisine at all. In fact, just the opposite. When I mentioned that little observation to the film’s real-life subject Danièle Mazet-Delpeuch — the farmhouse cook plucked from the Dordogne to serve as French President Francois Mitterrand’s personal chef — she roared with laughter. “It is certainly not,” […]
I’ve judged dozens of contests in my day. Whether it was choosing readers’ best Christmas cookies, the hunkiest bachelor or crowning that year’s “Boston Pride Idol,” it was always serious business for me. Of course, I also got a chance to be on the other side of the judges’ table as a contestant on the […]
Faced with a 3-pound bag of short-grained rice, a few half gallons of milk, 2 quarts of heavy cream and lots of leftover candied citrus peel, I got back in the rice pudding game. I admit I was a little stove-shy after last week’s rice dessert debacle (see previous blog post). But I couldn’t possibly […]
Who leaves a three-month bakery apprenticeship and just days later feels confident enough to bake for 400 people? Of course, that would be me. Full disclosure: I never baked anything at Flour Bakery + Cafe during my tenure. They don’t let the interns near the ovens except for toasting nuts, which I did many times […]
I love going to Tanglewood. It really doesn’t matter who is playing at the western Mass. summer home of the Boston Symphony — although I have a thang for violinist Joshua Bell. It’s all about the picnic on the lawn. Now, this isn’t tailgating. No one throws open the trunk of the Prius, pitches a […]
I cannot imagine what the late, great Julia Child would think of all the science projects that pass for fine dining these days. My guess is she’d be horrified. I envision Julia — or Meryl Streep as the cinematic French Chef — bellowing as a hipster waiter placed a plate of foam, gel and smoking […]
Here’s a blog post I wrote this week for the gals at betterafter50.com. Enjoy! There are lots of things that make me happy–road trips, a purring cat on my lap, an enthusiastic hug from a child. But nothing, I mean nothing compares to the joy I feel cooking for my family and friends. It’s why […]